Simplifying The OMV Configuration Backup and Restore Process

The subject of this thread is simple, or should be I hope - - - what is the very best way to back up the configuration settings of an OMV installation that is up and running smoothly????

Before starting to play with WOL and Plex and a few others I felt it was necessary to be completely confident in how to create and restore a smooth functioning OMV install and all of its configurations.

After jumping in to scour the WEB and the OMV forum I was very surprised at the complexity that confronted me. Threads like the following blew me out the door.

Threads like that have led me into a world of complexity and multiple ideas/solutions where I do not understand why the intense complexity has to exist in the first place. There are a ton of very smart individuals on this forum of whom I have great respect for. I envy their intelligence regarding OMV. The forum and OMV could not exist without wizards like these users.

So, I want to see if this thread can reveal an easy simple solution that works first time every time.

Is there any program/plugin/docker that can function within OMV in the same manner that a backup suite does within MAC or Windows? In other words --- example, “…do these 3 steps to back up the system and then do these 2 steps to restore it.” Situations like 20+ steps with Clonezilla seems uncalled for in theory.

Is there a scenario that could be explained to me to simply backup the SSD OS onto a USB stick? Then, if the SSD OS failed the USB stick could be booted to and installed back to the SSD

Is there yet another scenario that could describe to me the detail of running OMV from a USB stick and then having other USB sticks as backups should one fail.

I realize there can be many solutions to creating a configuration backup and restoring it. BUT each one seems to open a daunting hornets nest that doesn’t welcome newbies to OMV very well. Days of studying and posting replies on a thread obviously will teach me a lot. BUT, all I need to do is get back up and running quickly . . .IF my setup should ever get corrupted or go down.

Can anyone help??? I’d like to get a solution up and running quick so I can start working with WOL and plugins.

My offering to the tech world: The great thing about being a NOOB is - You'll always be a NOOB - because every day you'll learn something that you didn't know an hour earlier, and sometimes - many times over, all in the same day. Someday you may grow old but you'll never be too old or too smart to learn something NOO. That said . . . pay it forward.

Is there any program/plugin/docker that can function within OMV in the same manner that a backup suite does within MAC or Windows? In other words --- example, “…do these 3 steps to back up the system and then do these 2 steps to restore it.” Situations like 20+ steps with Clonezilla seems uncalled for in theory.

The openmediavault-backup plugin is easy to setup and one click to backup or you can even setup a scheduled backup with it. Yes, there are lot of steps to restore but there is no getting around that. There is a new guide on how to restore the backup.

Is there a scenario that could be explained to me to simply backup the SSD OS onto a USB stick? Then, if the SSD OS failed the USB stick could be booted to and installed back to the SSD

That could be done with one line from the command line if the usb stick was the same size or larger than the ssd. dd if=/dev/sdX of=/dev/sdY bs=1M (replace x and y with actual drive letters, x is the current omv drive and y is the usb stick).

Is there yet another scenario that could describe to me the detail of running OMV from a USB stick and then having other USB sticks as backups should one fail.

If you cloned one stick to the other with the dd command above, then you could have a short script mount the second stick on a temporary directory, rsync the running install to the mounted drive, and then unmount it. Then if the first stick failed, you would just change the bios to boot from the other stick (maybe it would boot from it automatically if you unplugged the failed one).

The openmediavault-backup plugin is easy to setup and one click to backup or you can even setup a scheduled backup with it. Yes, there are lot of steps to restore but there is no getting around that. There is a new guide on how to restore the backup.Great, I will check that out in a bit.

That could be done with one line from the command line if the usb stick was the same size or larger than the ssd. dd if=/dev/sdX of=/dev/sdY bs=1M (replace x and y with actual drive letters, x is the current omv drive and y is the usb stick).I started to ask what and where is the command line . . . but, then happened to think . . . are you talking about the command line being what is left remaining on screen AFTER signing in with 'root' and then the respective password? I am now kind of separating the command line from the GUI. I think that issue was a portion of some of my fog . . . An aspect of Linux that is just now coming into view for me. Also, I have seen the "dd" portion of a command before in threads. What is "dd" and why is it important? If I'm going to learn anything at all about the inner workings of OMV where do I go to 'begin' getting up to speed with all the commands required to make OMV work?

If you cloned one stick to the other with the dd command above, then you could have a short script mount the second stick on a temporary directory, rsync the running install to the mounted drive, and then unmount it. Then if the first stick failed, you would just change the bios to boot from the other stick (maybe it would boot from it automatically if you unplugged the failed one).Respectfully, for me a newbie, there is a lot of "what if's" here. I am very willing to learn things in computers but is there a way to learn without so many "possible" scenarios? In other words - and don't be offended by me looking like I'm lazy - But, it is time consuming to further understand the scenario's such as 'you could do this' and 'you could do that'. I can follow instructions but would like to know how to do something without so many "what if's". I hope that doesn't come across as rhetoric - I merely mean to say I'm not trying to get something for nothing, it's just that I want more step by step scenarios if at all possible. I am very new to the command line way of performing tasks and do not understand it near the way a lot of you other pros understand it.

Thanks ryecoaaron for helping me start to learn this OMV environment.

I realize all this is major elementary, my apologies; but, it's where I am and I guess I can't get around it in any manner while learning/making OMV work for my environment.

My offering to the tech world: The great thing about being a NOOB is - You'll always be a NOOB - because every day you'll learn something that you didn't know an hour earlier, and sometimes - many times over, all in the same day. Someday you may grow old but you'll never be too old or too smart to learn something NOO. That said . . . pay it forward.

The openmediavault-backup plugin is easy to setup and one click to backup or you can even setup a scheduled backup with it. Yes, there are lot of steps to restore but there is no getting around that. There is a new guide on how to restore the backup.Great, I will check that out in a bit.

That could be done with one line from the command line if the usb stick was the same size or larger than the ssd. dd if=/dev/sdX of=/dev/sdY bs=1M (replace x and y with actual drive letters, x is the current omv drive and y is the usb stick).I started to ask what and where is the command line . . . but, then happened to think . . . are you talking about the command line being what is left remaining on screen AFTER signing in with 'root' and then the respective password? I am now kind of separating the command line from the GUI. I think that issue was a portion of some of my fog . . . An aspect of Linux that is just now coming into view for me. Also, I have seen the "dd" portion of a command before in threads. What is "dd" and why is it important? If I'm going to learn anything at all about the inner workings of OMV where do I go to 'begin' getting up to speed with all the commands required to make OMV work?

If you cloned one stick to the other with the dd command above, then you could have a short script mount the second stick on a temporary directory, rsync the running install to the mounted drive, and then unmount it. Then if the first stick failed, you would just change the bios to boot from the other stick (maybe it would boot from it automatically if you unplugged the failed one).Respectfully, for me a newbie, there is a lot of "what if's" here. I am very willing to learn things in computers but is there a way to learn without so many "possible" scenarios? In other words - and don't be offended by me looking like I'm lazy - But, it is time consuming to further understand the scenario's such as 'you could do this' and 'you could do that'. I can follow instructions but would like to know how to do something without so many "what if's". I hope that doesn't come across as rhetoric - I merely mean to say I'm not trying to get something for nothing, it's just that I want more step by step scenarios if at all possible. I am very new to the command line way of performing tasks and do not understand it near the way a lot of you other pros understand it.

Thanks ryecoaaron for helping me start to learn this OMV environment.I realize all this is major elementary, my apologies; but, it's where I am and I guess I can't get around it in any manner while learning/making OMV work for my environment.

There was a configuration back up back in early beta versions like around .2, but it broke more new installations than it helped restore... so Volker removed it

IIRC, I read something in one of his posts not to long ago he's testing a solution on his OMV 5 builds.

Air Conditioners are a lot like PC's... They work great until you open Windows.

There was a configuration back up back in early beta versions like around .2, but it broke more new installations than it helped restore... so Volker removed it
IIRC, I read something in one of his posts not to long ago he's testing a solution on his OMV 5 builds.

My offering to the tech world: The great thing about being a NOOB is - You'll always be a NOOB - because every day you'll learn something that you didn't know an hour earlier, and sometimes - many times over, all in the same day. Someday you may grow old but you'll never be too old or too smart to learn something NOO. That said . . . pay it forward.

There was a configuration back up back in early beta versions like around .2, but it broke more new installations than it helped restore... so Volker removed it
IIRC, I read something in one of his posts not to long ago he's testing a solution on his OMV 5 builds.

Thanks KM0201. I hope he comes up with something good

I trust him.. :).

A reliable way to backup/restore the OS configuration is the one minor thing that's missing from OMV, IMO. It's not a huge deal to me, as now w/ moving almost all my plugins to Docker, I can literally be back up and running in less than 30min. I'm not sure I could restore an image in that time.

Air Conditioners are a lot like PC's... They work great until you open Windows.

If booting OMV from a USB thumb-drive, with a known working clone in hand, it's possible to be back up in 3 minutes.
Easy...

True enough, but given the time to image the drive, then making sure you keep that image up to date if you add new software, then the time to restore the image... I find imaging more of a headache. Like I said, w/ dockers.. I can be reinstalled and back to my previous state in about the same time it would take me to image the OS drive.

Air Conditioners are a lot like PC's... They work great until you open Windows.

kai wrote:

are you talking about the command line being what is left remaining on screen AFTER signing in with 'root' and then the respective password? I am now kind of separating the command line from the GUI. I think that issue was a portion of some of my fog . . . An aspect of Linux that is just now coming into view for me. Also, I have seen the "dd" portion of a command before in threads. What is "dd" and why is it important? If I'm going to learn anything at all about the inner workings of OMV where do I go to 'begin' getting up to speed with all the commands required to make OMV work?

The command line is what you get when you login locally to the system -OR- if you login via ssh with putty. It is similar to the command prompt in windows. If you want to get more familiar with the inner workings, I would look for a good Linux tutorial for beginners (sorry, I can't recommend one since they weren't around when I learned Linux).

Kai wrote:

I am very willing to learn things in computers but is there a way to learn without so many "possible" scenarios? In other words - and don't be offended by me looking like I'm lazy - But, it is time consuming to further understand the scenario's such as 'you could do this' and 'you could do that'. I can follow instructions but would like to know how to do something without so many "what if's". I hope that doesn't come across as rhetoric - I merely mean to say I'm not trying to get something for nothing, it's just that I want more step by step scenarios if at all possible. I am very new to the command line way of performing tasks and do not understand it near the way a lot of you other pros understand it.

Nope, there isn't an easy way and yep, it is time consuming. But, it is worth it to have the knowledge and not have to rely on a forum to get help. Especially if no one can help. Could I write a plugin that is a bit easier for your exact system? Probably but then it wouldn't work on many other systems. More flexibility sometimes translates into more steps.

I realize there can be many solutions to creating a configuration backup and restoring it. BUT each one seems to open a daunting hornets nest that doesn’t welcome newbies to OMV very well.

I have to ask - have you actually read the New Users Guide? Just about every necessary process to get an OMV server up and running is in there, in a walk-through format along with overview explanations, to include how to back up and restore OMV if using a USB boot drive. I know I provided a link to it, in your previous building thread, and it's in my signature below.

Forum users have gone out of there way to help you get started, but you've got to do your part. That includes reading and, to some degree, experimentation.

True enough, but given the time to image the drive, then making sure you keep that image up to date if you add new software, then the time to restore the image... I find imaging more of a headache. Like I said, w/ dockers.. I can be reinstalled and back to my previous state in about the same time it would take me to image the OS drive.

With respect to ryecoaaron I want to say this. I totally understand your emphasis on all angles you are presenting, as solutions for me. I just feel I would be opening up a hornets nest - for me - to start learning it all in that context.

With everything that has been said so far here's where I think I am on the backup issue. Even with KM0201's input I still think his input keeps me in a hornets nest scenario - for me; not for others. I recall flmaxey using USB drives for the OS. Even though I have not used that method I am now reverting back to STRONGLY considering it. My usage of OMV4 is simply not tech intensive and I don't really see it being as such anytime soon. Therefore, a NAS system deployed by USB seems to be my solution.

Using small sized USB's I can not see 'imaging' as a major time consumer. I see it as disciplined scheduled maintenance based upon when I install something new to OMV4 that changes it's game plan.

So, Here is where I am.

My OMV4 is currently installed on a 120GB SSD. I now figure on installing OMV onto either a 16GB or 32GB USB 2.0 or 3.0 drive.

I have all my data backed up identically in 2 backup locations; 1 local on a PC and 1 external on a WD 1.5TB drive

I guess the easiest way to switch over to a USB OMV4 OS would simply be to take the time to reinstall OMV4 onto a USB using my CD OMV4 install iso; otherwise I'm into all of the hornets nest I want to avoid. I always use SANDISK products for these type of drives/cards.

Re-establish all NAS shared folders and mounts and then simply copy my backups into those NAS folders; unless someone has a faster way to do it that can be easy for me to learn; wait a second - I think all I have to do is remount the already populated storage devices to the new OS setup - correct???

That would bring me to where I am now.

Can someone help with a step by step procedure to clone or image the USB OMV4 OS onto other USB's. I do not know whether that includes the so called Clonezilla app or what. I'm lost here in learning that aspect of Linux

Also, does it matter if the USB drives are 2.0 or 3.0? I might be installing Plex in the long run but it is not a major priority currently. I just want to make sure USB drives are not a negative in a Plex scenario.

I think that covers everything unless I have missed something that someone can bring to my attention.

My offering to the tech world: The great thing about being a NOOB is - You'll always be a NOOB - because every day you'll learn something that you didn't know an hour earlier, and sometimes - many times over, all in the same day. Someday you may grow old but you'll never be too old or too smart to learn something NOO. That said . . . pay it forward.

I have to ask - have you actually read the New Users Guide? Just about every necessary process to get an OMV server up and running is in there, in a walk-through format along with overview explanations, to include how to back up and restore OMV if using a USB boot drive. I know I provided a link to it, in your previous building thread, and it's in my signature below.
Forum users have gone out of there way to help you get started, but you've got to do your part. That includes reading and, to some degree, experimentation.

flmaxey - you are absolutely warranted in calling me out on this matter. I accept your constructive emphasis. No - I keep forgetting about the manual. I have been in the manual several times for issues but I forget to go to it for every single issue. My fault entirely. I admit - I do jump.

Yes, forum users have gone out of their way. I guess I have inadvertently tried to push them. I will calm it down and see if I can better perform on the forum. Like I said, I have problems jumping at things. I like to solve a problem quickly. I guess I can say this . . . even though I have used Windows successfully throughout my 15 years of computer experiences I think Windows has made me lazy. Windows and MAC seem to solve everything for a person and put people into a non guts learning framing of mind. I think that is what I am struggling with. I never have had to enter the scene of telling a computer what to do from ANY prompt of any kind. Respectfully, thanks for calling me out.

While I think clonezilla would be easy to use, that doesn't seem to be the road you want to go down. This plan is as easy as I can think of:

install OMV 4 and get it working.

Shut it down and unplug the usb stick

Plug the usb stick into your Windows system.

Use win32diskimager to make a image of it.

Write the image to a second usb stick with etcher.

Plugin the usb stick back into your OMV system and turn it on.

I appreciate this. I do think after flmaxey rattled my cage, I am also going to try and figure out backing up with Clonezilla and OMV-backup. That said, I can use the method you wrote out to image a few USB thumb drives until my experimenting with backing up in my second machine (a virtual OMV4 install) returns a positive outcome. Everyone is correct in pointing me towards learning more of the guts of Linux and OMV4.

My offering to the tech world: The great thing about being a NOOB is - You'll always be a NOOB - because every day you'll learn something that you didn't know an hour earlier, and sometimes - many times over, all in the same day. Someday you may grow old but you'll never be too old or too smart to learn something NOO. That said . . . pay it forward.

My offering to the tech world: The great thing about being a NOOB is - You'll always be a NOOB - because every day you'll learn something that you didn't know an hour earlier, and sometimes - many times over, all in the same day. Someday you may grow old but you'll never be too old or too smart to learn something NOO. That said . . . pay it forward.

even though I have used Windows successfully throughout my 15 years of computer experiences I think Windows has made me lazy

This is a little off topic but how would you backup a Windows system and then restore it if the drive failed?
I have close to 40 years of computer experiences that started when nothing was easy and no internet to look things up

Hi ryecoaaron. 40 is definitely a far cry bit more experience than 15; that is for sure.

Anyway, For 4 years now I have used Aomei Backupper. I view it as a great product; but that's only a personal opinion. If the drivefailed? . . . then, that is a situation I have yet to deal with. However, you have made it an issue that I need to contend with right away. I would start by digging a little deeper into an area than I am already somewhat familiar with. Aomei Backupper has a "transfer (migrate) OS to another drive" feature. I already have a folder of ten past system images. Thus, to answer your question - I will have to visit the Aomei website and study how to actually transfer my Windows 10Pro 64bit OS. The questions are - does a system image in any way aid in the process of migration or do I have to put into play another maneuver. I will find those answers out very soon and prepare whatever it takes to restore should a drive failvsthe OS failing. Thanks for waking me up on that.

All that said, I should take the time to do the same with OMV. Investigate Clonezilla with Linux etc. etc. etc. I already have located a few Linux primer YouTube videos to study. So, how to bring a Windows bad drive back up to running is actually somewhat the same predicament as doing so with bringing OMV4 back into working via Linux.

My ORIGINAL intent via this thread was to get WOL up and working on my main stand alone server. But I thought what I'd do first is back up my current Virtual machine OMV4 OS install and then experiment with WOL on that virtual OMV4 machine BEFORE installing WOL on my OMV4 standalone server. When I saw the issue of backing up getting a little harry I simply contacted the forum to cut corners rather than spend tons of time learning what appeared to be an intimidating backing up process.

So, lesson learned I guess, slow down on the fun stuff like getting WOL working and get a base of understanding first for the overall picture. I know much much more (still not as much as you probably) about Windows than I do about Linux. I should have just dug in and when I ran into a problem with backing up or restoring, that I can't solve, - then - I contact the forum.

My offering to the tech world: The great thing about being a NOOB is - You'll always be a NOOB - because every day you'll learn something that you didn't know an hour earlier, and sometimes - many times over, all in the same day. Someday you may grow old but you'll never be too old or too smart to learn something NOO. That said . . . pay it forward.

All that said, I should take the time to do the same with OMV. Investigate Clonezilla with Linux etc. etc. etc. I already have located a few Linux primer YouTube videos to study. So, how to bring a Windows bad drive back up to running is actually somewhat the same predicament as doing so with bringing OMV4 back into working via Linux.

Just to make your life a little simpler, I have cloned Windows and Linux systems with clonezilla before. So, you could have one process for both

Just to make your life a little simpler, I have cloned Windows and Linux systems with clonezilla before. So, you could have one process for both

Thanks. I'm just now studying this tekkb thread . I think things are getting a little clearer, but I may ask questions along the way. I was stumped right off the bat with his Post #1 then realized I can get some of this setup done through my Windows explorer. I think.

My offering to the tech world: The great thing about being a NOOB is - You'll always be a NOOB - because every day you'll learn something that you didn't know an hour earlier, and sometimes - many times over, all in the same day. Someday you may grow old but you'll never be too old or too smart to learn something NOO. That said . . . pay it forward.

My offering to the tech world: The great thing about being a NOOB is - You'll always be a NOOB - because every day you'll learn something that you didn't know an hour earlier, and sometimes - many times over, all in the same day. Someday you may grow old but you'll never be too old or too smart to learn something NOO. That said . . . pay it forward.